


To Have and To Hold

by WorryinglyInnocent



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: #Emma Swan Deserves Better event, Alternate Future, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Gremma, canon divergence: Graham lives, wedding fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 04:21:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10846368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorryinglyInnocent/pseuds/WorryinglyInnocent
Summary: Whilst preparing for her wedding to Graham, Emma looks back on the moments that they’ve shared and looks forward to the future.Set in a canon-divergent timeline in which Graham survived.Written for #Emma Swan Deserves Better, 07/05/2017





	To Have and To Hold

**Author's Note:**

> This is a future fic set in an AU that I haven’t written yet, in which Graham lived to the present day and continued a relationship with Emma. I decided to add in some flashbacks showing the evolution of their relationship.
> 
> As much as I love Swanfire, Gremma will always have a special place in my heart and I decided to do something different for @phoenixfeatherquill’s #Emma Swan Deserves Better event, so I hope you all enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> [Emma’s Wedding Dress link](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/7a/63/a3/7a63a3e36dfb67992bf2891d7500e96f.jpg)

_It felt good to be back in the Sheriff’s station, just her and Graham, like old times. For all her adventure with Snow and Mulan and Aurora in the Enchanted Forest had been interesting, there really was nothing quite like coming home and hoping that perhaps life could get back to normal._

_“So, did much happen whilst I was away?”_

_“Well, Maurice tried to send Belle over the town line to forget she was in a relationship with Rumpelstiltskin, who then gifted her a library. Ruby was accused of murder but we caught the guy who actually did it, and Sneezy still hasn’t got his memories back but doesn’t seem all that concerned by the magical malfeasance going on. So no, not much.”_

_Emma snorted and grabbed a bear claw out of the box of doughnuts. “So, do you think that things are going to calm down now?”_

_Graham shrugged, pulling up the chair beside her and resting his feet on the desk next to hers._

_“We’re a town that appeared out of nowhere filled with fairy tale characters from another land and there’s magic. I don’t think that things are ever going to calm down.”_

_“Still. Whatever happens, I’m glad that you’re ok.”_

_“It’ll take more than rampaging werewolves and runaway mining carts to finish me off.” Graham finished off his doughnut and was just taking the box over to the trash when the station door opened and Regina’s head peered around it._

_Emma raised an eyebrow._

_“Can we help you?”_

_“No.” Regina shook her head. “But I think I can help you.”_

_She came into the room fully, and Emma could see that she was holding a small box, very much akin to the one that Kathryn’s heart had been found in, and she felt her own heart leap to her mouth as Regina opened the box, taking out a glowing red object. Graham’s heart, which he had been so adamant that he did not have, and for so long she had not believed him, until Henry had been put under the sleeping curse and she had started to believe._

_“I think it’s time that I returned this,” Regina said, coming over to Graham, who was backing up away from her, a wary look on his face. Instead of giving it to him, however, she held it out to Emma. “It’s clear that even without your heart, it still belongs to Emma.”_

_Emma gave a weak smile, tentatively taking the heart. “Ok… So what am I supposed to do now?”_

_“Just push it in,” Regina said. “The magic will take care of everything else.”_

X

Looking into the dressing table mirror, Emma smiled at the memory of the first time that she had kissed Graham with his heart. It wasn’t that their kisses before he’d regained it had been lacking in any sense, but there was something more in that moment, something that definitely hadn’t been there before, as if Graham was pouring his very soul into the kiss. In a way, she supposed that he was.

She glanced around the room, completely unfamiliar, and sighed. She wasn’t getting cold feet per se, but she still couldn’t quite believe that this was actually happening, that the day had arrived. Here she was, sitting in the spare bedroom of Gold and Belle’s home, getting ready to get married.

There was a tap on the door and Emma whirled round on the dressing table stool.

“Who is it?”

“Me,” Neal’s voice replied through the wood. Emma grinned and went over to open the door. Neal was leaning there nonchalantly, a grin on his face.

“Thought you might need a friendly face,” he said. “Especially since Mary Margaret said you’d banned her from interfering.”

Emma grimaced as she went back to the dressing table and Neal perched on the bed behind her.

“I know she means well, but there’s a point where she gets somewhat… overwhelming.” Emma didn’t think that she’d ever had quite as many arguments with her parents as she had over the past year of her engagement. None of them had come to anything and they had always made up within a few minutes, but the amount of stress that had gone into planning this occasion - and replanning it when Mary Margaret and David had threatened to go completely over the top - had been astronomical, and more than once she and Graham had considered fleeing to Vegas. “I just don’t think that I could stand having anyone fuss around me today. She understands, she’s going to come along later and help me with the dress and stuff. I couldn’t completely deny her some mother-daughter bonding time.”

Neal laughed. “You’re going to be fine, I promise. Everyone in the town is so excited. Since they got cheated out of going to Papa and Belle’s wedding, they’re really looking forward to this one.”

Emma snorted. “To be honest I think that running away and having Archie marry them in the woods with only four other people present was probably the best idea your parents have ever had. I’m kind of annoyed that they beat us to it; if Graham and I decide to do that now then we’ll just be accused of copying them.”

They stayed in companionable silence for a while as Emma finished her make-up. It was good to have Neal there; an old friend who could calm her down in his own inimitable way. Whilst she would always be sad that their relationship had not worked out, ultimately they still had their friendship and they still had Henry. All wasn’t lost, and despite the trials that they had faced, they had come out stronger for them. Neal would always be a part of her life and a part of her would always love him, but in the end, making that commitment to be together forever… That wasn’t something that she could do with him.

But it was something that she could do with Graham.

X

_“Are you sure?”_

_Graham nodded. “Emma, you know that I want nothing more than to come and help you find Henry, but I’ve got to stay here. I have an obligation to protect these people and make sure that everything goes smoothly in your absence. And honestly, Henry already has the best person to find him going on this trip. You can do this, and you’ll find Henry and bring him back to us, and I’ll be waiting right here when you return.”_

_Emma looked up at the Jolly Roger and the others embarking; a little way away, Belle was saying a similar goodbye to Rumpelstiltskin._

_“I will see you again,” Emma said, echoing Belle’s sentiment._

_“Of course you will.” Graham pulled her into a hug. “Now go and bring back Henry. He’s what’s most important at the moment. Everything else can wait.”_

_When they returned a week later, with not Henry but also Neal and Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys in tow, Graham was standing right there in the same spot he’d said goodbye to her in, grinning from ear to ear._

_“Told you so.”_

X

That was one of the things that she loved about Graham. He was always there. Always dependable. She trusted him to stay behind whenever she went on the madcap missions that took her away from Storybrooke; trusted him to be able to look after the people who called her saviour, just as he trusted that she was going to be all right wherever it was that she had to go. The town needed Graham and Henry needed Emma, it had always been an unspoken agreement between them and it had never forced them apart, not even when Neal had come back into the picture. They’d worked it all out, and they were all the better for it, including Henry, who had been thrilled at going from one parent to four in the space of a year or so. In the end, perhaps it was Graham’s link to the town that had finally made Emma comfortable enough to accept his proposal and really put down roots in a town that she had called home for a long time, but had ultimately always been ready to run away from if she needed to.

It had been a sweet proposal, really. Everything was calm in Storybrooke, no darkness or villainy threatening their borders, and Graham had taken her on a hike through the woods. Halfway along the trail they’d stopped for a snack and he’d presented her with a bear claw with a plastic Christmas cracker ring stuck into the top of it and asked her to marry him.

And Emma hadn’t hesitated to say yes. For all she had dreaded the question for most of her life, not knowing whether she’d be able to finally make that commitment after having been conditioned not to commit to anything for too long and really put down her roots once and for all, when the time had come she had said yes without a second thought. Because ultimately, Graham was one of the reasons why she’d come to call Storybrooke home in the first place. If he hadn’t offered her the deputy job, then would she still be here now? It felt so long ago that she had first taken that badge from him and made that commitment to the town, and so much had happened since that had made her want to throw in the towel completely, grab Henry and give it all up. But Graham’s steady presence and dependability had never wavered. He was a constant, reminding her of the commitment that she had made and keeping everyone safe when she was unable to. His faith in her had never faltered, and Emma knew that the feeling was wholly reciprocated.

Presently there was another knock at the door, bringing Emma back to the present.

“It’s me,” Belle called through the wood, and Neal got up to leave.

“I’ll leave you in peace, better go and make sure Henry’s ready for his duties as best man. I’ll see you later.” He paused and gave her another smile. “Don’t be nervous, you’re going to do fine.”

“I know. It’s still a big thing, though.”

“You’ll still be fine.”

“Thanks, Neal.”

“Anytime, Em.”

He left the room, allowing Belle to come in, and the other woman came over to Emma, giving her a hug that was made somewhat awkward by her ever-growing baby bump. She broke away, rubbing her back, and Emma had to laugh.

“You know, if the baby decides to come today and steal my thunder, I’m not sure what I’ll do.”

Belle snorted, easing herself down onto the bed. “I’ll cross my legs,” she said.

“No, to be honest I think I might welcome the distraction.”

“Now’s not really the time to be having cold feet,” Belle said. “Although I suppose I can’t talk considering that Rumpel and I practically ran away from the town to have our own wedding.”

“Yeah, that’s looking very tempting. It’s not that I don’t want to get married to Graham. I really do. I just… The thought of something going wrong at the last minute is kind of terrifying.”

“Emma, your mother will not allow anything to go wrong. I think she’s even put Granny on standby with her crossbow to stand guard and make sure nothing untoward gets anywhere near the marquee.”

Emma laughed, remembering the first conversation that she’d had with Mary Margaret after announcing her engagement. She couldn’t really blame her mother for diving straight into the deep end when it came to wedding preparations for her only daughter, but on entering the loft to find almost every surface completely covered in clippings from bridal magazines and fabric swatches, she’d nearly fainted. Her parents had been determined for her to have the perfect royal wedding that she would have had in the Enchanted Forest, with all the pomp and ceremony that went with it, and it had taken a lot of persuasion on Emma’s part to remind them that she wasn’t a princess here in Storybrooke; she was a deputy sheriff, and she’d rather have a wedding that befitted a deputy sheriff than the princess she’d never had the chance to be. They’d relented with good grace in the end, and Emma glanced across at the garment bag hanging on the back of the door, forever grateful that it did not contain any of the hooped monstrosities that Mary Margaret had been in raptures about.

“I really came in to give you this,” Belle said, holding out a small box. “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, you know. I know you’re not exactly the most traditional of people, but I wanted to make sure you had something for good luck, and I didn’t think that Mary Margaret would have thought to get you something like this.”

Emma opened the box to see a pale blue lace garter inside, and she giggled.

“Belle, I…”

Belle shrugged. “If anyone’s going to be giving you something more risqué, I think it’s best coming from the very pregnant lady.” She winked. “Everyone else can pretend to be innocent.”

Emma put the box on the dressing table. A little tradition couldn’t hurt after all.

“Is there anything you need?” Belle asked. “Chamomile tea to calm your nerves?” Emma made a face. “Ok, I know you’re not much of a tea drinker.”

“I’m all right, thanks Belle. I think I’ll wait for Mom to get here.”

Belle smiled. “Of course. Just let us know if there’s anything you need.”

The sound of the doorbell below them heralded Mary Margaret’s arrival, and Emma had to wonder how Gold was coping with so many people coming in and out of his house all day. Well, he had been the one to offer her his spacious spare room to get ready in instead of her old room at the loft, so he must have been prepared for it. As she had remarked to Neal before, it seemed as if the entire town was getting in on this wedding, but Emma found that she didn’t mind it as much as she might have. The people who mattered – her and Henry’s family – were there at the front and centre where they ought to be, but she couldn’t deny that she and Graham were a big part of the town and it would make sense that everyone would want to be involved in their nuptials in whatever way they could, simply to pay their respects to the people who had such a large influence on the community.

Belle slipped away quietly and Emma heard her meet Mary Margaret halfway up the stairs, her mother exclaiming over Belle’s tummy and swearing that she’d grown more since seeing her the previous day. Emma wondered what would happen if she were to get pregnant again before hastily pushing that thought away and leaving it for the future. Best to get through the wedding first.

“Oh Emma.” Mary Margaret came into the room, positively beaming as she closed the door behind her. “You’re looking wonderful.”

“Thank you.” Emma paused. “I know you wanted me to get ready at the loft with you, but…”

“You need your space; I understand that. These last few months whilst we’ve been doing all this planning have taught me to understand that more than ever.”

“I know. I think I’m still learning that I don’t have to do everything by myself all the time. But I’m really glad that you’re here now, Mom,” Emma said earnestly. “Will you help me with my dress please?”

“Of course.”

It was a simple dress, no lace or frills or anything too flouncy, just flowing white silk with a little bit of a flare and a cowl neckline. Nothing too princessy, but as she put it on, Emma still felt majestic. Or, she would have done, if she hadn’t had a stomach full of butterflies. She looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror as Mary Margaret fastened the hooks and zipper. White dress, check. White shoes, check. Flowers in hair, check. Blushing bride’s innocent smile… Well, that was lacking. She turned as Mary Margaret stepped away.

“Do I look ok?”

Mary Margaret smiled. “Emma, you look every inch a princess and every inch a sheriff. You’re so beautiful. All you need to do is smile.”

“I know, that’s the part I’m having trouble with. I’m just nervous, and I don’t know why.”

“This is a momentous event, it’s all right to be nervous. As soon as you’re there with Graham, you won’t be nervous any more. I was so scared before I married David, worried that I was going to trip over my feet or drop my flowers or do something else equally embarrassing, but in the end, it didn’t matter even if any of that did happen, because ultimately this is about you and Graham, and that’s what matters.”

Emma smiled, and Mary Margaret’s own smile grew wider.

“Now you’re perfect,” she said.

Emma took another glance in the mirror. Yes, now the look was complete.

She followed Mary Margaret down the stairs to where David was waiting in the living room with Belle and Gold. He shot to his feet when he saw her, a wide smile spreading over his face.

“Oh Emma…”

“Hey Dad.”

“You look wonderful.”

In spite of it all, Emma felt herself blush a little as David bowed to kiss her hand. Now she was ready.

X

_“Did you miss me?”_

_It was hard for Emma to believe that only a few short days ago, she had been living in New York with Henry, blissfully unaware of Storybrooke or her true identity. So much had happened since then, and here she was sitting back in the sheriff’s station with Graham as if she’d never been away, as if the second curse had never happened, as if they hadn’t spent a year apart. Their feet on the desk like normal, Emma’s head resting against Graham’s shoulder, his arm around her, a comfortable position that they just fell into without even thinking about it._

_“Yes. I missed you so much, Emma. But I trusted that you were safe and happy, wherever you were.”_

_Emma nodded. “I was, but there were times when it didn’t feel quite real. Something was always missing, you know, and I didn’t realise what that was until I came back here and saw you again.”_

_Graham laughed. “I’m flattered.”_

_They stayed in companionable silence for a while longer._

_“So… what happens now?” Emma asked eventually. “My life’s been in New York for a year now, but it doesn’t really feel like I have any life left there when so much of it is here. And I want to stay here, but things seem different now.”_

_“I know what you mean. There’s a big chunk that’s been taken out of all our lives, but not everything is different. At heart, we’re still all the same people.” He paused. “I know it’s a big step, and I know you’ve only just got back, but if you need some space to think what with David and Mary Margaret having the new baby and everything, I’d be very happy for you to come home with me. Henry too.”_

_Emma looked sideways at him._

_“Are you inviting me to move in with you?”_

_“If you want to. I know it’s a big step.”_

_“Let me think about it.”_

_She thought about it for three days before moving her and Henry’s things out of Granny’s and into Graham’s apartment._

X

There really was no better place for a huntsman and a swan to marry than at the edge of the woods within sight of the stream. A large marquee had been set up with tables and chairs inside, and Marco had constructed a little pagoda beside it. The guests were gathered outside this as the Cadillac pulled up a little way from it, its white ribbons fluttering in the gentle breeze. Gold glanced at Emma in the rear-view.

“Ready?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“In that case, we’ll leave you to it.”

He got out and helped Belle out of the passenger seat, and they moved off towards the pagoda. Emma couldn’t see Graham or Henry through the guests, but she knew that they were there at the front waiting for her.

David got out of the car on her left and Mary Margaret fussed over her dress a little more before handing her out the other side. Emma let her. She’d been so good in the last couple of weeks that she really deserved a couple of moments of Mom-fussing before the wedding. The wedding guests had started to look over in their direction, and Emma felt the weight of the town’s eyes on her. For a moment, the nervousness began to return, but she knew that she couldn’t back out at this stage. She’d been running for so long and she couldn’t run now, not when Graham and Henry were there waiting for her and not when they had been the ones to persuade her to stop running in the first place.

Mary Margaret handed her bouquet to her.

“Smile,” she said again, bringing one hand up to cup her daughter’s cheek. “The scary part’s almost over. Just enjoy it.”

Emma nodded. “Let’s go.”

The gathered guests parted as she moved towards them, David on one side and Mary Margaret on the other, and Emma had to admit that she didn’t think she’d ever seen Storybrooke’s collective population so happy. Now that everything seemed to be on an even keel with no evil entities threatening them at every turn, it made sense to celebrate whatever they could, and she didn’t begrudge them that after all that they had been through.

When it came down to it though, Emma really only had eyes for one person. Graham was standing at the front with Archie and Henry, and he was positively beaming at her as she came down the aisle. Any misgivings that she might have had were dispelled then. This was the right choice. She wanted to do this, to marry Graham and spend the rest of her life with him.

They reached the little pagoda and Mary Margaret took the bouquet to let Emma hold Graham’s hands.

“Hey,” Graham whispered.

“Hey yourself.”

“I’m glad you came.”

Emma had to give a snort of laughter at that remark. “Did you really think that I wouldn’t?”

“No, I had every faith in you. It was everyone else who was saying that you were going to get cold feet.”

In front of them, Archie cleared his throat politely. It was time for them to get married.

X

For all the idea that true love permeated this town, it had seen comparatively few weddings, and Granny had gone all out when it came to catering for the event. The party was in full swing, and as the guests danced about in the marquee in the setting sun, Emma was glad not to be the centre of attention for a little while. She was sitting at a table in the corner, watching the proceedings. Henry was dancing a little awkwardly with Violet – Emma, Neal and Regina had all been giving him contradictory tips on how to woo her for months, and Emma was glad to see that despite everything the fruits of their labour seemed to be yielding. Belle and Gold were seated a little way from her, Gold massaging Belle’s feet, her hands resting contentedly on her belly. Neal was chatting amiably to a group of former Lost Boys, and her mom and dad were slow-dancing in the middle of the marquee, oblivious to everything around them. Regina and Robin were nowhere to be seen, and Emma smirked at the thought of what they might be getting up to out in the forest.

“Top up?”

Graham sat down beside her and offered a half-empty bottle of champagne. Emma held out her flute without a word and leaned into his side as they drank. The companionable silences had been part of their friendship and then relationship for so long that they felt comfortable, a necessary part of being together.

“What are you thinking about?” Graham asked presently.

“Family.” Emma gave a happy sigh and drained her glass. “I’ve got more family now than I know what to do with, but I think I’m happy about that. And now you’re a part of that family too, and you’ve got more family than you know what to do with as well.”

“I think I can get used to it.” He chuckled. “Wolves are supposed to stay in packs after all.”

She and Graham were more alike than perhaps she had first admitted to herself. On the face of it, Neal would be her soulmate in that regard. Growing up without parents, leading such similar lifestyles, traumatic portal experiences at a young age. But Graham was a loner too, and just like her, he’d had to learn that it was all right to accept help, especially when it came to recovering from a past that he would rather just forget.

“Do you want to get away for a bit?” he asked. “I see that Regina and Robin have already snuck away. I see no reason why we shouldn’t follow their lead and get a bit of time to ourselves.”

Emma glanced around the marquee. For the moment, no-one seemed to be paying them any attention, and it would be nice to have a few minutes with her husband – she still couldn’t get used to calling him that – without anyone interfering.

“Yes,” she said decisively, holding out a hand to him and letting him lead her away from the marquee, a little further into the woods, but not far enough to risk messing up her dress.  Mary Margaret would probably never forgive her if she came back covered in mud and grass stains. “As nice as it is to have a lot of family now, sometimes we have to get away from them.”

It was never going to be plain sailing, not when she was the same age as her parents and they had missed out on so much of her life. They were always going to be subconsciously trying to make up for that lost parenting time despite knowing that they couldn’t parent a thirty-year-old woman in the same way as a one-year-old child. There were always going to be differences of opinion, but that was what she had Graham for, her backup.

“Are you happy?” she asked.

Graham smiled. “I don’t think I’ve been happier since I got my heart back,” he said. “What about you?”

“Yes. I’m happy. Still waiting for, I dunno, a dragon or something to swoop down and ruin the day; that seems to be pretty par for the course with all kinds of vaguely happy events in fairy tales. Regina gatecrashed Mom and Dad’s wedding, Maleficent put in an appearance at Aurora’s christening, Elsa turned up and started accidentally wreaking havoc after Belle and Gold’s wedding. I’m actually amazed that nothing’s happened to ours.”

“Don’t tempt fate. We’ll leave for California tomorrow and Storybrooke won’t be here when we get back. And I know you love it here really.”

“I love the people. The town’s always seemed to be fraught with danger though.” Emma paused. “Do you think we’ll ever all get back to the Enchanted Forest? I mean, we keep popping in and out, but everyone seems pretty settled here.”

Graham shrugs. “I think everyone likes it here. Functional democracy, running water, central heating. It’s a good place to be.”

Perhaps it was strange to be discussing this nebulous future on their wedding day of all days, but this was the first day of the rest of their lives, after all. Emma slipped her arms around Graham’s middle, leaning in for a kiss. The future was already getting off to a good start. They could worry about protecting the town from the latest villain to magically appear later. There was a lot to think about, and for a few moments, Emma let herself really think about a happy future, something that she had always conditioned herself not to think about, to just live in the moment and survive the present. But Graham made her _want_ to think about the future and make plans, for the first time in a very long time.

“No more talk of gatecrashers and terrible things happening?” Graham asked. Emma shook her head.

“No. And even if something terrible does happen, we’ll get through it together. We’ve got through everything else.”

“Yes, we have.”

They fell into silence again, and Emma rested her head against Graham’s shoulder, enjoying his closeness. She felt safe and protected, knowing that she didn’t have to rely on herself all the time, and that there was someone else there she trusted to look out for her. Commitment was a choice, she’d always known that, but it was a choice that she had wanted to make, and that Graham, so used to fending for himself like she had been, had also made.

Emma smiled. They were both strong, and committing to each other in this way wasn’t a weakness. It just made them even stronger together. Whatever happened, they were going to get through it. Everything was going to be all right.


End file.
